Lake Butler man arrested in bludgeoning murder

A 42-year-old Lake Butler man has been charged in the bludgeoning death of another man, state and Union County officials said Wednesday.

Donnie Hugh Crawford is accused of killing 65-year-old Ralph Gary Anderson, of 115 SE Sixth St. in Lake Butler, according to a probable cause report.

Crawford was arrested Tuesday at the Union County Jail, where he was already held on a burglary charge, officials said.

Crawford was the last person seen with Anderson before his body was found on the floor of his home July 3, the report said. Anderson's cellphone, wallet and keys were missing from the home.

When Union County sheriff's deputies went to a home where Crawford was known to occasionally stay, they were given permission to search and found a brown trifold wallet on a bed he sometimes used, deputies said. The wallet held Anderson's credit card and there was a $50 bill on the bed.

The Medical Examiner's Office determined Anderson's cause of death was blunt traumatic head injuries from a physical assault.

Crawford was jailed in Union County in 2016 for burglary and assault against Anderson, deputies said Wednesday.